Prepare your Garden for Winter to Ensure a Gorgeous Display in Spring

The hot, dry weather this year for many has resulted in less damage to plants from slugs and snails, which is always good news. During summer 2013, there have been 588 hours of sunshine in the UK, making it the 7th sunniest summer since records began in 1929. While it has been warmer than usual, the 9th warmest since 1910, there also seems to have been a lot more windy weather in many places, prompting gardeners to tie down or secure vulnerable plants which could bend and break. Now that winter is approaching fast, it is a good idea to get out into the garden when you can and take some time to tidy and prepare your garden area for colder, wetter weather. After all, we can only guess what nature will throw at us next year!

Tidying up jobs include, raking and gathering fallen leaves from lawns and borders and adding them to a compost heap. Removing any weeds and pruning or clipping bushes and trees will immediately give a neat and clean effect. Fallen leaves should be cleared from the top of evergreen perennials as this encourages rotting of the plant underneath.

Large roses and shrubs like buddleja can be pruned back about one third, although Clematis montana, Buddleja globosa or Forsythia, should not be pruned as these bushes produce flowering shoots on matured growth from the previous summer. Cotinus, deutzia, berberis, escallonia, weigela. and philadelphus can be pruned along with other deciduous shrubs to ensure healthy growth in the spring. Weak growth and some vigorous stems should be clipped off, stimulating the production of strong new branches in the spring also.

Prune deciduous trees, removing any weak or dead stems, although ornamental cherries, like fruiting cherries, are subject to silver leaf so should not be pruned in winter.

Summer flowering heathers can be trimmed with shears now, taking care not to cut into old wood which will not regrow.

Lift and store dahlias, and mark herbaceous plants which may be difficult to spot once they have died back. Place all tender plants such asbegonias, geraniums and fuchsias under cover and dry off tubers and corms to be stored in boxes of dry peat-free compost.

Your garden can be beautiful all year around of course, offering a stunning display of colour throughout the winter months, as the team at Crosby’s Wholesale Nurseries know.

Crosby’s are a family business with 60 years experience in supplying wholesale bedding plants, pot plants and ornamentals. Expertly cultivated plants can withstand most environments, especially when the quality and robustness of all varieties are continuously improved. Crosby’s have an excellent reputation for customer service too and our retail customers include many garden centres, landscapers andlocal authorities.

Give us a call on 0161 980 5195

All Year Round Supply of Expertly Cultivated High Quality Plants for Retail & Local Authority